North Korea fires 'several cruise missiles' into sea

SEOUL - North Korea fired "several cruise missiles" into the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean peninsula on Saturday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. 

Pyongyang's latest provocation comes as concern grows over the whereabouts and wellbeing of a US soldier who made an unauthorised dash into North Korean territory earlier this week, with the reclusive regime so far remaining tight-lipped about the incident. 

Saturday's launches are just the latest in a series by Pyongyang, and come as Seoul and Washington ramp up defence cooperation, with relations between the two Koreas nearing an all-time low. 

The cruise missile launches took place around 4am on Saturday, Seoul's military said.

"South Korean and US intelligence authorities were analysing the launches while monitoring signs of additional activities," the JCS said. 

North Korea had fired two ballistic missiles into the sea off its opposite coast toward Japan just three days earlier. 

Diplomacy between Pyongyang and Seoul has stalled, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for ramping up weapons development, including tactical nukes.

In response, Seoul and Washington have staged joint military exercises with advanced stealth jets and US strategic assets, while an American nuclear-armed submarine this week made a South Korean port call for the first time in decades.